Levy, a third-round draft pick in 2009, picked off Browns’ quarterback Brandon Weeden twice on Sunday to bring his interception total to four this season. In his first four seasons he had just five.

“He understands the game better, there is no question about that. You could see it at OTAs and other times throughout the year that he was on point and it’s paying off,’’ Cunningham said Friday. “The wheel route down the sideline, the last interception, I almost jumped out of the press box. He had given up a couple of those in the last few years and he was ready for them. He made a nice play and the offense pounded it in and iced the game. I was really happy about that.”

Basically it’s experience that has made Levy better. Not only does he have four interceptions, he has six pass defense and leads the team with 49 tackles.

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“He understands, he’s a bright guy, he’s tough, he can run and he recognizes things now,’’ Cunningham said. “It’s trial and tribulations that you go through and grow and I keep saying, I knew when (Chad) Greenway up in Minnesota hit his stride and Lev is right there at the same point, he is hitting his stride. He is an excellent veteran football player.”

Slay continues to improve

With the improvement of rookie cornerback Darius Slay and the solid play from veteran cornerback Rashean Mathis, Chris Houston is more of a presence on the left side. In previous seasons he was moved from side to side depending on which wide receiver he was covering.

“What I liked last week the guy who played in the second half was Slay, he got the one penalty, it was a good call, the official threw the flag, but he went in after him. He is really making strides,’’ Cunningham said.

“This morning was one of the best practices he’s had, he must have knocked down six balls today,’’ Cunningham said. “That’s what he needed to learn.

“A lot of times during practice, receivers don’t want to be touched and the corners buy into that stuff, Jim (Schwartz) allows us to play pretty aggressive,’’ Cunningham added.

In the time Slay has been on the field — Mathis usually starts but he sees playing time — he’s only allowed 10 completions per Cunningham.

Durham just wants to win

Kris Durham knows what it’s like to play second fiddle to a star receiver. At Georgia he played three years with A.J. Green who is now with the Cincinnati Bengals. And now he’s on the same field with Calvin Johnson.

“Yeah, (Green) got all the attention in college and Calvin gets all the attention in terms of coverage,’’ Durham said. “I don’t mind it, I just want to win. I don’t care what my role is as long as I can help us win.’’

Durham’s role has steadily increased this season. In Sunday’s win he had a team-high eight catches for 83 yards.

This is Durham’s first full season on the 53-man roster. He was elevated from the practice squad for the final four games in 2012.

He was not a lock to make the roster with so much competition at wide receiver.

“He was fighting to make this football team,’’ offensive coordinator Scott Linehan said. “He knew there was a lot of competition at the receiver spot. We were real unsubtle as to who we were going to play and he just said, ‘If the Lions cut me, I’m going to make it really hard on them.’ I remember him making that comment and he earned his spot on the team.’’

Durham, who also played at Georgia with Matthew Stafford, continues to improve.

“I think every game you get in this League it’s a learning experience,’’ Calvin Johnson said. “He’s been learning ever since he’s been able to play with us. It’s just experience makes you better and better. The more experience you have, the more knowledge you have in certain situations in the game and the more capable you are of completing your objective at that point.”

Ins and outs

With Calvin Johnson returning to practice for the third straight day Friday, the question for Sunday isn’t whether he will play but how much. He’s officially listed as probable on Friday’s injury report after he was questionable the past two weeks. Expect to see him more Sunday at Ford Field against the Bengals.

Running back Theo Riddick, who suffered a concussion on Oct. 6, returned to practice for the first time. He was limited and is listed as questionable for Sunday.